The original idea behind Judgement was to provide a vehicle to analyse the good and bad aspects of human civilisation. The idea behind The Cleansing was to suggest how the bad stuff could be remedied.
Chapter 6 – The Plan
Chameakegra sat in her quarters concentrating deep into her mind. How could she undo some of the damage done by the extractions? How could she soften Grrndakegra’s hard style? The Hydrans were now familiar with the look of Federation races, particularly Giforians and Drefs. She knew that their features produced terror. Hydran folklore was full of dragons, serpents and scaly worms. To them they appeared like creatures from their nightmares. Was there any way she could counter that? It seemed impossible.
What had been the effect of her first broadcast? The research seemed to suggest that not much had gone in at all. The Hydrans had been in total shock and were completely unreceptive. Neff’s great mind suggested that she should simply repeat the message. Hydrans found repetition reassuring. Psychologically it would help. But Neff intimated that there was no magic cure, no panacea. Sudden exposure to a superior technology always resulted in psychological turmoil. All that could be done was to keep repeating the same message and demonstrate the veracity of it through actions. That took time – a lot of time. Chameakegra took that on board.
The idea of her second broadcast was to put a little more flesh on the bones. She aimed to pick up the same points as last time and build on them.
‘People of Hydra,’ Commander Chameakegra spoke in her most soothing tone. This time she was allowing a close-up of her face taking care not to show her crest which she thought might still be too frightening for Hydrans to stomach. She was working on the principle that the Hydrans had seen the hordes of Giforian and Dref troopers on the street. The time for pretence was over. The best psychological ploy was to be completely transparent, lay out the reality and all the Hydrans to come to terms with what the situation was then they could start to come to terms with it. ‘I am Commander Chameakegra – the officer in charge of this assistance scheme. I am sure that you have been extremely frightened by what has happened. I can fully understand that. I can only repeat that we mean you no harm. What we are doing is in your best interests.’
Chameakegra peered out from billions of homes with a face that she hoped looked sincere. Hydrans had never seen alien races before so it was a big ask to expect apes to interpret saurian expressions and scaly faces were notoriously difficult to read. It was a risk. She pressed on. There was nothing she could do about that. Her scaly face was something they were going to have to get used to. She just hoped they could adjust quickly.
‘I would like to tell you something about us. We are a Federation of intelligent beings from all over the galaxy. Intelligent life is rare and our aim is to assist it to develop and prosper. This is not an invasion so much as an intervention. We are here to assist you to progress.’
Images of polluted areas and wars filled the screen.
‘Our investigations have concluded that action was necessary. You and your planet are teetering on the brink of catastrophe. Wars, violence, social breakdown and environmental disaster have taken you to the brink of disaster. We had no choice but to intervene.’
Chameakegra was hoping that the Hydrans were savvy enough to at least partially accept the truth of what she was saying. After all, she had heard it expressed all over the planet. Even though many of them turned a blind eye to it, or were in denial, most did recognise that things were hanging by a precarious thread.
‘We are briefly taking control of your planet. We have dismantled your military and suspended all forms of government. We have temporarily closed your media. Please do not be concerned. I will explain what we are going to do.’
This was the crux. Could they accept that it was necessary for the Federation to take over the planet? Could they psychologically come to terms with this invasion? She was projecting a pinky beige colour in order not to appear too outlandish. She guessed that a psychedelic face might just push them over the edge.
‘We have completely undone the tribal idea of nations. They will not be reinstated. In due course we will set up a global government which, in the future, will be run by yourselves for the benefit of all Hydrans. There will never again be the need for armies and military forces. There will never again be any more wars.’
Chameakegra thought that explanation was better. Even if they did not agree maybe they could understand the reasoning.
‘As for the members of this interim government we have assembled; we have replaced your democratic system with one based on ability. Instead of electing individuals into office, based on lies, charisma, promises, lust for power and greed, our supercomputer has studied the qualities of all eight billion Hydrans and selected people best suited to carry out the jobs based on their ability and character. All too often your democratic system has elected self-servers, liars, inept fools and thieves. That is largely why you were in the mess you were in. We have replaced the corrupt and ineffective with those most able and best suited to do a good job.’ Her face seemed to crinkle into a smile as she attempted to come across in a more informal manner. ‘Allow me to point out that if you were appointing anybody into an important role you would study their qualifications, experience and interview them to ascertain their views and character in order to select the most appropriate candidate for the role. Governing is the most important job in the world. You would not appoint them through an election.’
Chameakegra was attempting to look serious but benevolent. She wasn’t really certain how that might come across to Hydrans. This was the crux of her speech.
‘So, citizens of Hydra, we have made two moves that may cause you some consternation but which we believe are essential for your progress. We have given you a global government, unifying you under one overarching system and we have placed people of ability and integrity in charge.’
Here, she knew she was treading on some delicate psychological territory. Her investigations had led her to recognise how deep the tribal traits were embedded. Many Hydrans seemed intrinsically patriotic and nationalistic to the point of rabid xenophobic racism. The idea of their nation being done away with altogether would be utterly abhorrent. Would the prospect of there being no more wars be sufficient to bring them on board? The camera zoomed in to focus on her eyes, eyes that were not dissimilar to that of Hydrans, apart from the brightness of their colour, vulnerable eyes that she hoped might project compassion and verity. She hoped that they could see those emotions.
It was time to grasp another thorny issue and clear the table.
‘You will have seen that we have taken away numerous individuals and I am sure this has caused you a great deal of fear. Do not be concerned. We have identified all the people who, for one reason or another, are responsible for the precarious state of your world. These are the people who have displayed malevolent levels of greed, lust for power or violence, or have obvious psychological, emotional and anti-social behaviour traits. I repeat do not be concerned. They will be returned to you unharmed. It was necessary to remove them so that we could carry out the cleansing. They will come back rehabilitated with their empathy and compassion fully restored so that they can perform positive roles in your society. We aim to leave you with a vibrant, happy, well-adjusted and productive society that no longer takes you to the brink of extinction.’
At least it might allay some of their fears and give them hope. She knew their imaginations were probably conjuring up scenes of torture and murder. This might help allay some of those fears though she was aware that she might be reopening wounds and feeding fires. She allowed a reddish tint to spread over the scales of her face, softening it, providing warmth and indicating a positive emotion. It had to be said.
‘We have a clear vision for the future. One that will make you prosperous and happy and enable your progress into a new age of science and technology. The stars await you. After we have restored your government we will overhaul your other institutions so that they function properly and enable your society and culture to reach its potential and assume a leading role in the Federation.’
Providing hope for the future was essential if they were going to progress. She tried to present a sincere expression that she hoped they might be able to decipher. From her experience Hydrans were good at interpreting facial expressions, though the Giforian features were nowhere near as malleable as those of Hydrans.
‘We will take steps to overhaul our industry and energy production so that it is no longer polluting and damaging to the environment. We will clean up your rivers and seas, improve the quality of your soil and air and restore the biosphere to the dynamic state it should be in.’
Chameakegra was confident that this would appeal to a sizeable number of Hydrans and find a majority in favour. Her investigations had shown the state of the environment to be a major concern. Her big eyes shone out hypnotically as she paused between each element. She wanted them to take in the gist of what she was saying even if, in their present state of turmoil, they were unable to retain the detail. This exercise was all about the long, slow process of building trust. Chameakegra herself had to believe. She had to believe one hundred percent that at the end of this process the Hydrans were both capable and worthy of being saved and Hydra had a great future. She could not allow herself to think for an instant that Beheggakegri might get his way, the Hydrans eradicated and all this in vain. Not for a second. She exuded sincerity.
‘We will make education a priority in order that young minds are nurtured and expanded so they can reach their creative best.’
Everyone cared about their kids. Surely this was another important area to emphasise. She resisted the desire to raise her hands to emphasise the words. The last thing that Hydrans needed was to be shown an image of Giforian claws. Not at this stage.
‘We will enable a care system so that the weak are supported and greatly improve your health systems with all manner of preventative and remedial technology. This will enable you to cure many of your present-day maladies, rectify genetic flaws and prevent many diseases that you presently suffer from so that you can all flourish. We will provide treatments to cure your various addictions, addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex and gambling so that your societies will be healthier.’
This too might help to paint a positive vision of what was to come that might win a number of Hydrans over.
‘We aim to give you the means to improve your infrastructure and housing so that the quality of everyone’s lives will improve greatly. When the resources of your planet are more evenly distributed, far less is wasted on destructive warfare, and the innovations on technology and science have been introduced all your lives will be transformed.’
Chameakegra’s image hung there in all its glory. She could only hope that she had done enough. She had tried to sell them a vision of a glowing future. She had to hope that they could absorb it and see the benefits. Could this vision of a fabulous future compensate for the fears and shock of this encounter and upheaval? Time would tell. At least it was a start. She smiled benignly out at them radiating peace and hope.
The picture faded away.